This fall a new music program has launched on the Goshen College campus: a collegiate chapter of United Sound! United Sound is a national organization whose mission is to “remove barriers and foster social change through music.” Students with disabilities, or “New Musicians,” are paired with peer mentors to learn instrument skills in a collaborative environment. United Sound has over 100 chapters nationwide, each rooted in a local music program in different communities.
At Goshen College, the United Sound program was developed as a co-curricular class through the Global Studies (GLST) department. All GC students are required to earn 12 GLST credits, either through a semester Study Service Term or course by course through sequential threads. The Arts and Purpose thread had an opening for a new Community Engaged Learning course, and the opportunity to link with United Sound fit the bill. Through a partnership with Elkhart High School, the Music with United Sound class was held for the first time this fall as a collegiate chapter of United Sound!
Each week, ten students from the Young Adult Program of Elkhart High School’s special education department are bused to Goshen College along with their teacher, Tracey Weirich. These ten New Musicians work in small groups with their Peer Mentors, the 23 GC students enrolled in the GLST 271 Music with United Sound class. Some of the New Musicians and Peer Mentors had previous musical experience, but many did not – this is by design, as the underlying premise behind the class is that music can and should be accessible to anyone and everyone. Working with the United Sound method book, the Peer Mentors guide their New Musicians in learning how to play the violin, viola, or cello. They also engage in community-building activities to help them get to know each other, build relationships, and have fun together. Meanwhile, the Goshen College students also have class once a week in which they delve into topics such as ableism, the history of access to the arts for people with disabilities, and best practices for inclusion.
The impact and benefits are multi-faceted: for the New Musicians, the United Sound program offers a chance to connect with age-group peers on a college campus and experience age-affirming extracurricular activities that are often off-limits for young adults with disabilities. For the Goshen College students, the Music with United Sound course allows them to connect with peers from the local community they may otherwise never had the chance to meet, engaging in a truly cross-cultural experience right here on campus.
The Youth Honors Orchestra has the unique opportunity to connect with the United Sound program. Each United Sound chapter works toward at least one community performance a year in order to share their music with parents, families, and friends and showcase the hard work and learning of all involved. Each performance involves the New Musicians playing parts tailored to their abilities, supported by their Peer Mentors, along with a supporting ensemble that plays fully orchestrated parts. For the Goshen College United Sound performance, the Youth Honors Orchestra will serve as the supporting ensemble! YHO members in grades 10-12 will perform “Shiver Me Timbers,” a piece written specifically for United Sound ensembles across the country by composer Harout Boyajian. This offers older and more advanced YHO musicians the chance to perform their own feature piece while supporting the United Sound ensemble.
The concert will take place on Tuesday, December 10 at 6:30 pm in the College Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall. It is free and open to the public.